Suspected theft crew apprehended in Gurnee

Three men and one woman, all accused of being part of a Venezuelan theft crew, now are facing charges after they were arrested last week at Gurnee Mills, officials said Friday.

Esther L. Vega Escovar, 29; Dany Daniel Hernandez Colina, 26; Frank T. Silva Rivera, 26; and, Jose J. Chirinos, 18, each were charged with felony retail theft, according to a news release from the Gurnee Police Department.

According to the release, employees at a major retail store in Gurnee Mills alerted police to a previous theft and provided license plate information and descriptions. The license plate information was crucial, police said, because it enabled police to use the Flock plate reading system to be alerted if the car returned to the area.

Police were notified by the license plate reader that the car was near Gurnee Mills about 4:15 p.m. Aug. 3. After speaking to associates from the retailer, officers learned three men and one woman had been inside the store concealing merchandise worth several thousand dollars; they left without paying for it, the release said.

Gurnee officers found the vehicle and stopped it; all four people were taken into custody, according to police.

Vega-Escovar, Hernandez Colina and Silva Rivera were released from custody with pretrial conditions and are scheduled to appear in court Aug. 28. Chirinos was detained, and he has a preliminary hearing set for Sept. 4.

“This arrest highlights the effectiveness of cooperation between local businesses, local law enforcement and the Office of the Illinois Attorney General in combating organized retail theft,” said Gurnee police Chief Brian Smith.